2009 was a year in turmoil and 2010 seems to be somewhat of an improvement. The wine industry is now leaner and meaner. Many vineyards unfortunately are at the brink of bankruptcy. For those that have survived they now have to be market savvy. It doesn’t have to be repeated too many times, Americans are still wary about the economy. Value imports are catching the eye of many American wine drinkers.If you haven’t lost your job or are anticipating loosing yours, you may still have one thing on your mind and that’s your bottle of wine.

Let’s face it, we all know someone who has lost their job.You may never have needed a bottle more than now and you’re not about to give it up. Even during economically tough times Americans are not ready to give up their pleasures, whether it is drinking, smoking or even chocolate. They might scale down but give up? Never! All said, the recession produced at least one notable wine sale trend and that’s value. Lot’s of value and bargains out there.

The wine industry has a ton of wine for sale. Actually, there’s a glut of wine. There’s bargains galore. There’s on line wine discounters and more. There’s even super on line discounters such as Wines Till Sold Out that operate like a QVC for the wine industry. There’s even tweeting and Facebooking for the wine industry, all in the attempt to sell wine and most of it is good wine for sale (Emphasis on ‘Good wine”)

Sometimes high end wineries offer second quality grape production which hasn’t made the cut and re-label it under another name.Other times outside companies buy the excess wine and re label it. What ever the marketing technique is, there are now bargains galore to help satisfy any wine drinkers appetite and price point.

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What better way to celebrate the hosting of the World Cup than picking up your favorite South African wine.
Nestled at the southern tip of Africa, South Africa boasts well over 350 years of wine making. The industry now combines both classical Old World wine making influenced by New World style. Currently South Africa represents only 1 percent of U.S wine imports but produces wines of quality and value. Stellenbosch represents the center of the South African wine industry and produces beautiful wines. The area produces marvelous Cabernet Sauvignon and its own unique blend of Pinotage.
Pick up a bottle and enjoy the World Cup. Just a sampling of South African wines:

Indaba- first launched in the US in 1996, the wines are bottled using screw cap closures. A portion of the brand’s global sales goes to support students from disenfranchised communities.
Indaba Chardonnay 2009, Indaba Chenin Blanc, Indaba Merlot 2008, Indaba Shiraz 2008.

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It’s almost summer time and it’s all about light and easy to prepare foods. In this topsy, turvy, crazy food world, American chefs now seemed obsessed with Tacos. WHY NOT. The ingredients are fresh, the prep is easy and you can always express your creativity with different varieties of tacos.

Find The Truck in Hoboken and Jersey City

Enter The Taco Truck in New Jersey. It’s a concept that was developed by Jason Scott with a vision for sustainable food and social responsibility. His vision lead him to the right chef for the project, Chef Roberto Santibanez, a native from Mexico City.

The Taco Truck brand now brings fast, casual and affordable Mexican Cuisine to the streets of Hoboken and Jersey City. The truck itself is an 18-foot Ford E step van that carries its own recycling and compost system on board, leaving no Carbon footprint behind. Talk about being green and environmentally friendly!

Look for the signature bright orange truck in the streets of Hoboken and Jersey City. The exact the location of the truck can be found by following the truck on Twitter and Facebook

If you do catch up with The Taco Truck and grab a little lunch or dinner, may I suggest a light, fruity Californian Pinot Noir to go with a meat or chicken taco

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Super discount websites are a must to know for every wine lover. They offer wine bargains for a limited time ( I guess similar to QVC) usually for a 24hr window of time. The sites vary as well as the wine offers and shipping details. Again, a must to know for any oenophile.

People who use these sites say that some great deals can be found. Word of caution: There are shipping rules for every state. Please check the site carefully to see for yourself. If you have any experience with these sites, I welcome comments. I’m curious because I haven’t tried any of these yet. I’ve perused the sites and have seen some terrific bargains; Italian wines, Californian, you name it.

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PIWC brings you the latest in great Food & Wine happenings at a cost friendly price!

For Frugal Friday this week, we’ll highlight some worthy causes to spend your wine and dining dollars on. While maybe not so frugal the money spent goes a long way to help those less fortunate than us.

Skylark Diner, Edison, showcases Chilean wines to support earthquake victims. Last weekend I went to The Lark, one of my favorite hangout bars/diners. They really have a pretty descent wine list thanks to their new Sommelier Courtney. The food is pretty descent as well. Not your regular run-of the mill diner food. Kind of upscale for a diner with a very, very retro interior. I glanced at their new wine menu and found this lovely Chilean Cabernet Sauv ,Don Maximiano Errazuriz 2008. Very impressive wine. Nice tight tannins with a great chocolate bouquet.

The Skylark will be showcasing this wine all month with 100 % of the proceeds being donated to Chilean relief. I loved the wine so much, I bought a bottle knowing the proceeds went to a great cause. And at $16 a bottle a real steal. My recommendation is stop by and sample the wines and buy a great Chilean to boot. A worthy cause and a great wine.